BGS LEGO seismometer

Build a BGS LEGO seismometer

The BGS Lego seismometer should look like this when fully assembled.

Seismometers have been around for nearly 200 years. Some historical instruments show that designs can be very simple. The earliest seismic sensors were just simple pendulums that swung when a nearby earthquake occurred.

You can make your own simple seismometer from Lego and a metal spring. The mass on the sensor will stay still (due to its inertia) when the ground moves, this relative motion can then be converted to a voltage with a coil and a magnet.

Users in education can make their own version of the BGS Lego seismometer under a Creative Commons licence. See Terms and conditions below for further details.

1) Start with the hinge

Using a piece of 500 micron card or plastic as a spacer, the hinge is made from double thickness of tape.

2) Make the armature

The spring is held tight between two 2x4 LEGO bricks.

The hinge unit is added at this stage.

3) The base and completed assembly

The hinged armature is added to the base.

The other end of the spring is bent over and clamped between two 1x8 LEGO bricks.

Finally, a weight is added so that the sensor is balanced and free to move.

What additional equipment do I need to start detecting earthquakes?

You'll need a few more bits of kit before you can start detecting earthquakes with your Lego seismometer: